This entry was posted on 3/25/2006 3:50 PM and is filed under ARTICLES.
Save your smile - and health
Dental care can prevent maladies of the mouth and beyond
Mary Beth Faller The Arizona Republic Mar. 21, 2006 12:00 AM
Teeming with bacteria from rotting food, it's a gateway to infection, inflammation and systemic disease.
It's your mouth. Ignore it at your own risk.
That risk may be greater than you realize. Skipping basic oral hygiene and dental checkups not only can lead to a dingy smile but to serious health problems. When you were a child, your parents and your dentist probably warned about this slippery slope: If you don't brush, floss or get regular cleanings at the dentist, tartar - hard calcium deposits - builds up on the teeth. Plaque, a sticky film of bacteria, is drawn to the tartar.
Next comes tooth decay, in which the bacteria break down and produce acid, destroying tooth enamel.
Congratulations, you have a cavity.
Fortunately, cavities can be filled and the consequences usually end there.
But those same bad habits can also lead to gum disease, which has potentially more lasting damage, and possibly even to heart attacks or problems in pregnancy.
"Your blood cells don't like the bacteria, so they flock to the gums to fight it, engorging the gums," explains Steven M. Morales, a dentist in Phoenix. "Your body is trying to fight the bacteria because you're not getting it with your toothbrush or floss."
Those engorged gums are the beginnings of periodontal disease, which at that early stage is called gingivitis.
Gums are puffy and bleed easily.
If only the soft gum tissue is inflamed, gingivitis usually can be reversed - with thorough brushing, flossing and a professional cleaning.
Left unchecked, the infection grows, with pockets forming deep inside the gums. The bacteria start to eat away at ligaments that connect the teeth to the bone and, eventually, the bone itself. Gums recede, teeth loosen and breath stinks.
"If the inflammation process has broken down the ligaments to the teeth, it's irreversible," Morales says. If the disease is severe, you can lose teeth. Even if there is no permanent damage, you may have to have your teeth cleaned every three to four months for life.
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